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Post by David on Aug 5, 2022 15:16:38 GMT
elute PRONUNCIATION: (ee/i-LOOT)
MEANING: verb tr.: To wash out or extract, especially with a solvent.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin eluere (to wash out), from ex- (out) + -luere (to wash), from lavare/lavere (to wash). Earliest documented use: 1731.
USAGE: “The caustic solvent of intercontinental travel has eluted away the fragile coating of polite civility each of them wears when at his unstressed best, leaving bare the chafed prickliness of self-justified irritability familiar to all who over-indulge in time zones.” John Mickey; Ultimatum Day; iUniverse; 2006.
See more usage examples of elute in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
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Post by David on Aug 5, 2022 15:17:20 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
What did I know, what did I know / of love's austere and lonely offices?
-Robert Hayden, poet and educator (4 Aug 1913-1980)
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Post by David on Aug 7, 2022 17:36:26 GMT
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
I once came across a fellow named Modern Man. Real story. That was his official name. That’s how he was listed on his driver’s license and passport. If was probably a bit of a challenge to have customer support or 911 not hang up.
You have to admire the boldness and courage it takes to officially rename oneself like this. The rest of us carry on with whatever name our parents slapped on us when we were born. Here’s to rebels and nonconformists!
This week we’ll see five words that have origins in popular names. We’ll cover first names, diminutive names, last names, and full names.
Is there a story behind your name? Do you have an unusual name? Share on our website or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state).
Here are some tidbits about my name.
John Henry PRONUNCIATION: (jon HEN-ree)
MEANING: noun: A person’s signature.
ETYMOLOGY: From the name John Henry, from confusion with John Hancock. Hancock’s signature was the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence and his name became a synonym for a signature. Earliest documented use: 1914.
USAGE: “The clerk insisted: ‘You have to sign this or you can’t use it here.’ So, Steve scribbled his John Henry on the card.” D.F. Oliveria; Stereotype at the Plate; Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington); Mar 18, 2006.
See more usage examples of John Henry in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary. |
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Post by David on Aug 7, 2022 17:36:57 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There would be no society if living together depended upon understanding each other.
-Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (25 Jul 1902-1983)
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Post by David on Aug 8, 2022 22:25:56 GMT
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
At the entrance of a Whole Foods store, I noticed an LCD screen advertising “Animal Welfare Certified” steaks.
"Animal Welfare Certified" steaks
The absurdity of words in the ad brought a smile. You’d think anyone who raises a sentient being for the sole purpose of killing her and selling her for parts is probably not out for her welfare. It doesn’t fare well for the cow, no matter how you slice it.
Incongruity in words and action creates violence. Another example is wearing ribbons with the words “Support Our Troops” while dispatching them to die in manufactured wars.
Wow! I must be good with words -- today I have managed to alienate two groups of people in one write-up.
What are your thoughts? Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state).
Meanwhile let’s get back to where we started. This week we’ll feature five words made with animals, but no animals were harmed in the making of these words. Animal Welfare Certified, for real!
cynical PRONUNCIATION: (SIN-i-kuhl)
MEANING: adjective: 1. Believing that people are motivated primarily by self-interest. 2. Behaving in a selfish manner, callously violating accepted standards. 3. Pessimistic; jaded; negative. 4. Contemptuous; mocking.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cynicus, from Greek kynikos (like a dog), from kyon (dog). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwon- (dog), which is also the source of canine, chenille (from French chenille: caterpillar, literally, little dog), kennel, canary, hound, dachshund, corgi, and cynosure cynophilist, cynophobia, philocynic, cynegetic, and cynosure. Earliest documented use: 1588.
NOTES: Cynics was the name given to the ancient Greek philosophers who believed in self-control, austerity, and moral virtue. The movement was founded by Antisthenes (c. 444-365 BCE) and perfected by Diogenes (c. 412-323 BCE). It’s not clear why they were labeled cynics or dog-like, but as often happens with such epithets, they appropriated it. Some believe the name was given because Antisthenes taught in a gymnasium nicknamed White Dog, but it’s more likely that they were given the insulting moniker for their rejection of society’s conventions.
USAGE: “‘Fairy tales look great on paper. In real life, not so much.’ ‘Cynical.’” Jill Kemerer; Small-Town Bachelor; Harlequin; 2015.
See more usage examples of cynical in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
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Post by David on Aug 8, 2022 22:26:36 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
No one worth possessing / Can be quite possessed.
-Sara Teasdale, poet (8 Aug 1884-1933)
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Post by David on Aug 9, 2022 22:59:12 GMT
lemming
PRONUNCIATION:
(LEM-ing)
MEANING: noun: 1. Any of various small, thickset, short-tailed, furry rodents. 2. One who mindlessly conforms or follows, especially toward disaster.
ETYMOLOGY: From Norwegian and Danish lemming, from Old Norse lómundr/læmingi/læmingr. Earliest documented use: 1607.
NOTES: Lemmings do not go lemming. It’s a myth that lemmings jump off a cliff into water in an act of mass suicide. It was popularized by the 1958 Disney film White Wilderness. For more, see here and here.
USAGE: “Lucy ... had an almost inexplicably strong following among the big-platinumblonde-acid-wash-jean lemmings of Southeast High School.” Ron Bahar; The Frontman; SparkPress; 2018.
See more usage examples of lemming in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
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Post by David on Aug 9, 2022 23:00:16 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A writer is, after all, only half his book.
The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns.
-P.L. (Pamela Lyndon) Travers, author, creator of the "Mary Poppins" series (9 Aug 1899-1996) |
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:17:46 GMT
serpentine PRONUNCIATION: (SUHR-pen-teen/tyn)
MEANING: adjective: 1. Of or relating to a snake. 2. Winding, twisting, or coiling. 3. Intricate; cunning; treacherous. verb intr.: To move or lie in a winding course. noun: 1. Something winding, twisting, or coiling. 2. A dull green mineral with a texture resembling the skin of a snake.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin serpens, present participle of serpere (to creep). Earliest documented use: 1400.
USAGE: “In addition to her famous serpentine coiffure, Medusa was said to have two kinds of blood coursing through her veins: on her left side, her blood was lethal; on her right side, it was life-giving.” Jerome Groopman; Pumped; The New Yorker; Jan 14, 2019.
“For almost five hours you then fly over a dark green carpet festooned with serpentine rivers, some a muddy brown, others inky black.” Murder in the Amazon; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 25, 2022.
“But while Mr Yeltsin may look like the innocent flower, his folksy -- even crude -- exterior conceals the serpentine heart of a cunning party functionary who rose to the top of the ruthless Soviet hierarchy.” Chrystia Freeland; Crown Prince in Command; Financial Times (London, UK); Jun 22, 1996.
See more usage examples of serpentine in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:18:33 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I like the pluralism of modernity; it doesn't threaten me or my faith. And if one's faith is dependent on being reinforced in every aspect of other people's lives, then it is a rather insecure faith, don't you think?
-Andrew Sullivan, author and editor (b. 10 Aug 1963) |
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:19:53 GMT
jackrabbit PRONUNCIATION: (JAK-rab-it)
MEANING: noun: Any of various hares having long ears and very long hind legs. verb intr.: To move or begin to move very quickly. adjective: Moving or beginning to move very quickly.
ETYMOLOGY: A combination of jackass + rabbit. Earliest documented use: 1863, in a figurative use: 1922.
NOTES: The word jackrabbit is a misnomer. A jackrabbit is a hare, not a rabbit. It is called a jackrabbit because of its long ears, as if those of a jackass. The metaphorical use is from a jackrabbit’s sudden movement. This has given us the slang “jackrabbit start” meaning a start in which a person accelerates very quickly as a traffic light turns green, maybe even before the light has turned. Like most animal-related metaphors, this unfairly maligns our furry friends. There have been no reported sightings of jackrabbits jumping a red light.
USAGE: “I stare him down, heart jackrabbiting out of my chest.” Julia Kent; Shopping for a Billionaire Boxed Set; Kindle; 2021.
See more usage examples of jackrabbit in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:20:51 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It has always seemed absurd to suppose that a god would choose for his companions,
during all eternity, the dear souls whose highest and only ambition is to obey.
-Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (11 Aug 1833-1899) |
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:21:50 GMT
chevachee PRONUNCIATION: (shuh-vuh-CHEE/SHAY)
MEANING: noun: An expedition, raid, or campaign.
ETYMOLOGY: From French chevauchée (ride), from cheval (horse), from Latin caballus (horse). Earliest documented use: 1380.
USAGE: “Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, brings a secret weapon with him today. It, or rather she, is his mother-in-law. ... This makes it a unique chevachee in the long history of Anglo-French ententes cordiales and not so cordiales.” Blair Force One; The Times (London, UK); Feb 16, 2002.
“The word chevachee is the most apt way of describing the Mongol raiding tactics in 1211, for it is an act of plundering on a relentless and extensive scale.” James Waterson; Defending Heaven; Pen & Sword Books; 2013.
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Post by David on Aug 13, 2022 1:22:43 GMT
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I hate with a murderous hatred those men who, having lived their youth,
would send into war other youth, not lived, unfulfilled, to fight and die for them;
the pride and cowardice of those old men, making their wars that boys must die.
-Mary Roberts Rinehart, novelist (12 Aug 1876-1958)
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Post by David on Aug 17, 2022 2:40:38 GMT
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
Geography is the study of the Earth’s surface, so is plutography the study of Pluto’s surface? You’d think so, but you’d be wrong.
To debone is to remove the bones, so to deliver is to remove the liver?* The English language, any human language, doesn’t work that logically.
Deliver us from language! Let’s go back to speaking in grunts. Until that happens let’s look at five words that are not doing the English language any favors.
These are words that aren’t what they appear to be.
*The word deliver actually came to us from French délivrer, where it does not mean to remove a book even though livre is a book in French.
The French verb délivrer actually means to free. The equivalent to English deliver is livrer, all of which are from Latin liberare. Everything clear now?
No? Let’s continue.
The Latin liberare came from liber which means free. But it also means a book (which gave us the library). I can do this the whole day.
What are your favorite examples of homophones, false cognates, and other linguistic mischiefs? Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org.
plutography PRONUNCIATION: (ploo-TAH-gruh-fee)
MEANING: noun: The genre that chronicles the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek pluto- (wealth) + -graphy (writing). Earliest documented use: 1985.
NOTES: The dwarf planet Pluto was named after Pluto, the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. He was also the god of wealth since precious metals and gems are found underground.
USAGE: “These works are China’s closest approximation to plutography; Cheng’s attention to the brand names and schools by which the old rich set themselves apart from upstarts shows an eye for detail.” Pang-Yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang; Chinese Literature in the Second Half of a Modern Century; Indiana University Press; 2000.
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